If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

I know it's been a *very* long time since you posted the question, but just in case you were wondering I once learned a bit of Coptic (which is *much* more closely related to ancient Egyptian than Arabic) and I attempted to translate the phrase you asked about phonetically. So, I reunite (in this case bind) body and soul would sound *something* like: timor af awo psukay. I must apologize for the fact that Coptic is actually Egyptian using the Greek alphabet, therefore sound spelling in English is next to impossible. Also, I noticed that you mentioned something in your first post about eternity. In actual ancient Egyptian the words djet and neheh refer to eternity. Probably you already wrote the fic and don't even check this thread anymore, but I'm a newbie and stumbled across this, so I thought I'd put this up just in case.

I know the thread says language, but I do have some Egyptian culture questions.

I know the strict rules placed on women in modern Egypt. Do these same rules apply to foreign or visiting women?

That's not entirely true.

Egypt is relatively progressive, among Arab countries, though Islamic fundamentalists have become more influential in recent years. They still make up a small minority of the population, but they've used intimidation tactics which have been somewhat effective. Veils, let alone full burkah, used to be almost unheard of, at least in the cities, and now more Egyptian women wear them (though most still do not).

However, the rules put on women in modern Egypt are still nowhere near as strict as those put on women in places like Saudi Arabia or Afghanistan or (now) Iraq. Many Egyptian women are educated and have jobs, though "career women," particularly high-powered career women, aren't common, and the culture is still very definitely discriminatory.

Egyptians don't expect foreign women to act like Muslims (assuming they are not Muslims), but they do expect them to respect the local culture, in terms of dress and behavior. (I.e., wearing a halter top or making out with your boyfriend in public would not go over well.)

At what age are girls considered women in Egypt?

Age of consent is 18, but you can marry at 16.

How are foreigners, especially woman, thought of Egypt?

The majority of Egyptians, as in most Arab countries, pride themselves on being hospitable to their guests. Assuming you are an educated/wealthy visitor, that is. Immigrant workers get treated like crap. But Egyptians will generally be exceedingly polite to foreigners, as long as you're not going out of your way to offend them. (Although since Egypt is also a very poor country, they assume Westerners are rich and will generally be trying to sell you something.) Women are also treated politely -- again, as long as you're conforming to local mores.

That said, as in a lot of more conservative countries, Western women are also frequently assumed to be "easy" and lacking in virtue (and therefore fair game for sexual assault).

There have also been a small number of attacks on tourists by violent Islamic extremists.

Inverarity's pretty much summed it up. One last thing about women in Egypt: An interesting thing is that on every train the first car is reserved exclusively for women (not by law, but by culture). We discovered this accidentally, when we came to the train and saw, to our amazement, despite the impossible cramming of all the other cars, the first one was so empty everyone had a seat. We filed in happily, and were the only ones standing (which wasn't bad because at least we had tons of room). As the train left the station, however, we looked around us and realized the occupants were female (except one toddler boy). While fine for my mom, sister and me, my dad, you can imagine, felt incredibly awkward. The women didn't mind too much, though, because it was obvious we were ignorant American tourists. We never made the same mistake again!

At what age are girls considered women in Egypt?

I tend to think around puberty, which if I remember correctly is when Muslim girls start covering their hair. My sister was eleven at the time, and a bit mature for her age (she looked to be about thirteen, I'd say), and she got clucked at several times in public places for "indecent" dress (short sleeves and a skirt that only fell to her knees). (I was nine but could have easily passed for seven, and I was babied by everyone, who patted my cheeks and stroked by white blonde hair. )

Well, what they said pretty much sums up everything, but I just wanted to add something.

I know the strict rules placed on women in modern Egypt.

I believe (I'm not too sure about this) that Egypt is the most Westernized arab country. I don't think I've seen anything in America that wasn't Egypt. They've developed so much and this had a real affect on the way women were treated. Honesty, I didn't see a difference between American girs and Egyptians girl, expect maybe that there are a lot of arranged marriages.

And contrary to what a lot of people believe about hijab (head covering), a lot of parents in Egypt don't want their girls to cover their hair even though they have reached puberty. I know this one girl who wanted to start covering her hair and her father kicked her mom and her out of the house until she took it off. A lot of Egyptian can be radical and have anger-management issues sometimes but generally, they have kindness in them that I have never seen. Like once, I remember a kid tripped and fell on the floor and in two second, the whole world was around him trying to help him.

Ok, I just completely went off topic. But about foreigners, what Inverarity was sooo true. They really do hold visitors at a veryyyy high level. And yes, it has a lot to do with pride. But one thing I noticed, Egyptian guys seems to have...how do I say it...wandering eyes. Like extremely wandering. I think its just because they are so used to all the girls covering up so when a foreigner comes along, they're like amazed. I remember once my friend was telling me she went out once wearing a mini skirt the men were staring at her like she was "a piece of meat". Exactly her words.